Posted By DP Opinion On October 9, 2007 @ 1:28 am In Letters | No Comments

We have an epidemic of “Bronc-itis.” People are so bummed out whenever the Broncos lose that they allow it to ruin their whole day or week. I used to be like that, until I matured. One day, I realized that, if the players don’t have enough self-pride to go out and perform to the best of their abilities, then why should I let that affect my life?

On Sunday, following the Rockies’ win, everyone was on “cloud nine.” Today, following the Broncos’ loss, everyone is in a funk. We need to be more grounded and even-keeled, and we need not to let our mood be controlled by the actions of others over whom we have no control.

People pay good money to attend sporting events. In fact, the seats are ‘way more expensive than they should be, and many people have to make a sacrifice to afford them. Therefore, the fans have the right to expect that the performers (players) will do their very best. When the performance is bad, the fans have the right to leave, and, if it is pitiful, they have the right to express their displeasure vocally (but not profanely or abusively). There is nothing wrong with this, and, if players think it is inappropriate, they need to look at what it is they did to merit this.

These things having been said, I have some questions.

How do professional athletes justify their failure to perform while, at the same time, still getting paid for it? Any person in the regular workforce would be penalized for making such glaring mistakes or for failure to perform. After a certain number of mistakes, we would be dismissed. But pro athletes continue receiving their rewards, regardless of how badly they perform. And pro athletes seem to lack any loyalty, pride or competitiveness. So there is no longer an impetus or incentive for pro athletes to perform. If I hear “We just didn’t get it done” one-more time, I think I’ll puke.

How does an entire team fail as a unit? Do the players get together before a game and decide they’re all going to perform poorly? I can understand when 1 or 2 players have a “bad day” or make some mistakes, but how does the whole team do that in concert? It used to be that the Broncos took their cue from John Elway. If he was having a bad day, they all just gave up. Who gives them their cue now?